You Can Go Home Again

You Can Go Home Again

Like many a small-town girl before her, Abby Cahill entertained a fantasy of life in the big city. The moment she could, Abby left Gloucester, Massachusetts—the fishing village on Cape Ann where she was born—to pursue an advertising career in Boston, followed by a move to Manhattan.

Abby married Greg O'Brien in 2007. Two years later, though, the O'Briens' priorities shifted. "Greg and I started thinking about having a family and knew we wanted more space," Abby recalls. "Then he found this incredible 1790s house near the water, six miles from my hometown."

In this photo: Handmade Windsor chairs surround the walnut dining table, discovered at an area antiques store. A coat of Farrow & Ball's Pavilion Gray transformed the brass chandelier, and the brand's Comforth White covers the walls.

Foyer

Foyer

The 3,000-square-foot Georgian claimed a history any ambitious gal would love: Between 1907 and 2002, the structure served as a seaside getaway for single women. Run first by the Massachusetts Association of Women Workers, then the Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Boston, the inn once offered bunks for $4 a week—plus sailing, badminton, and horseback riding.

In this photo: This Eero Saarinen table served as the dining table in the couple's Manhattan apartment. Here, in the foyer, it displays a bust scored on Etsy, along with opera glasses and a footed ice bucket—both gifts from Abby's mom. The trim is painted Charleston Gray, while the walls are painted Skimming Stone—both by Farrow & Ball.